


Windows

by Tenebrais



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-03
Updated: 2011-01-15
Packaged: 2017-10-10 22:18:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 16,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/104969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tenebrais/pseuds/Tenebrais
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Karkat had an important role to play in the creation of his companions. While in the veil, he sees tales of their pasts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Gamzee

\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] began trolling grimAuxiliatrix [GA] --  
CG: MAYBE YOU CAN TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON HERE.  
GA: How Can I Help You  
CG: I'M IN A GREY ROOM FULL OF TUBES AND STUFF.  
CG: THEY'RE GROWING AGENTS IN HERE.  
GA: Youre In The Veil  
GA: It Is The Ring Of Asteroids Beyond The Lands  
GA: To Support The War Effort In Skaia  
GA: And Ultimately The Reckoning  
GA: You Could Have Asked Your Lusus  
CG: THAT OLD GROUCH? NO.  
CG: ANYWAY THAT'S NOT WHAT I WANTED TO KNOW.  
CG: I WANT TO KNOW WHAT I'M SUPPOSED TO BE DOING HERE.  
CG: TEREZI THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT I GO HERE.  
GA: Yes I Believe Aradia Has Had Some Words With Her On The Matter  
GA: You Need To Figure Out Yourself What You Are Doing  
GA: You Wouldnt Believe Me If I Told You  
GA: Your Course Of Action Should Be Quite Obvious

Karkat grumbled to himself. Kanaya was his teammate. She should be more helpful. Not that the teams were really a thing any more. Still, he expected some sort of allegiance, especially since she was so keen to join his team.  
Putting thoughts of her out of his mind, he returned to the screen in front of him. It had twelve screens, only one of which was on. It was hard to see from his angle, but he peered in.

 

A young troll boy lounged in a dinghy out at sea. He was staring up at the night sky. One moon was up tonight, the pink one. Around it, the stars glimmered and shone. The sky was beautiful. Life was beautiful.  
A bleat by the side of the boat woke him from his reverie. His lusus had pulled its huge head out of the water, a large fish between its jaws. Smiling, Gamzee congratulated it with a cheerful pat on the head. The goat began tearing into the fish, eating ravenously. Were goats even supposed to eat fish? Who cares. If fish is what it wants to eat then fish is what it'll eat and that's all it should be. The creature playfully splashed around the boat for a while, playing with the boy, before finally diving underwater again.  
Gamzee went back to relaxing. He pointed out the constellations to himself. There were the four signs of the zodiac - the Spectre over to the west, the Sea Monster to the north, the Orbital to the east and the Disc to the south. He thought that was them, at least. They're all patterns of stars. Who really cares?  
Another sound caught his attention. It sounded sort of like a cough. He caught a glimpse of a goggled pair of eyes before it dove back under the water. Looking around the sea was still again; not even a breeze stirred it. Just as he took his eyes away from the water, some louder splashing was heard, and a pair of hands covered in jewellery pushed a body onto a piece of driftwood.  
A troll doesn't grow up without seeing a few corpses, but still, it really killed the mood. He reached over and pulled the body onto his boat. Definitely dead. By the looks of it, the poor guy had drowned, whoever he was. He looked at the face. It was heavily made-up in black and white, like a clown. Searching his pockets for any way of identifying the guy, he found a few tubs of face paint and hair gel. Nothing else. Whoever this guy was he sure liked dressing up as a clown.  
A thought triggered in his head. Wasn't there some cult that did this? He'd have to look it up. The guy would have to be properly honoured, however these guys chose to treat their dead. Gamzee grabbed the oars of the boat and rowed back to the shore.

From his home, he fired up his husktop and searched the net. After only a few distractions, he found out about the cult of mentally-unorthodox clowns. Looking around, there was nothing about any sort of death ritual. Shrugging, he took the painted corpse, dragged it out to a hill not far from his hive, and left it to the animals.  
Still, the cult lingered in his mind. Clowns. What a concept. And he had this face paint right here...

 

There was a big button beneath the twelve screens. Cautiously, Karkat pressed it. A piece of machinery to the side of the lab charged loudly, and then fired off with a piercing crack. Briefly, a green mannequin of Gamzee Makara as he looked before he joined the clown cult appeared on a pedestal before collapsing into goo. Another machine sucked it up and stored it in a jar. The apparatus then stood silent once more.  
Karkat went over to look closely. There were twelve of these jars, and it didn't take near-omniscience to figure out what would go in each one. He looked at the one full of the green goo. Genetically, this stuff would be identical to the guy that considered him best friend. But then he suspected Gamzee considered everyone his best friend. He was just that kind of guy.  
Somehow, the featureless ooze suited him.


	2. Aradia

\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] began trolling terminallyCapricious [TC] --  
CG: HEY.  
TC: WhOa WhAt ThE mOtHeRfUcK yOu NeVeR oUt AnD tAlK tO mE lIkE tHaT  
TC: tOtAl FuCkIn MiRaClE  
TC: lEtS gO hAvE a PaRtY mAn  
CG: I'M ALREADY REGRETTING IT.  
CG: LISTEN, I'M JUST CURIOUS ABOUT SOMETHING.  
CG: DO YOU REMEMBER THE DAY YOU FIRST JOINED THAT STUPID CULT OF YOURS?  
TC: UhHhHhHhHhHh  
TC: NoPe  
CG: YOU WERE ON A BOAT AND FOUND A DEAD BODY.  
TC: Oh YeAh  
TC: FuCkIn TrIp ThAt WaS  
CG: DID YOU FEEL ANYTHING WEIRD THAT DAY?  
CG: AFTER YOU LAID THE BODY OUT TO THE WILDS?  
TC: sHiT mAn YeAh  
TC: LiKe ThIs WeIrD tInGlY sHiT  
TC: mAdE mE kNoW iT wAs FoR rEaL  
TC: hEy WhY dO yOu AsK?  
TC: yOu ThInKiN oF gEtTiN dOwN wItH tHe ClOwN?  
TC: hElL fUcKiN yEaH mAn  
TC: I gOtTa KiCk ThE wIcKeD eLiXiR tO tHaT oNe  
TC: Aw ShIt  
TC: I rAn OuT dIdNt I  
TC: GuEsS tHaTs A nO gO tHeRe  
CG: ARE YOU DONE YET?  
CG: LOOK JUST  
CG: GIVE ME A NUMBER BETWEEN ONE AND TWELVE.  
TC: EiGhT  
CG: THAT WAS VERY QUICK.  
CG: WHY EIGHT?  
TC: i JuSt RoLlEd OnE oF tHeSe DiCe HeRe  
TC: So PrEtTy  
TC: BeAuTiFuL  
CG: OH, YOU'RE IN VRISKA'S HOUSE AREN'T YOU?  
CG: DARE YOU TO BREAK SOMETHING.  
TC: oH yOu ArE oN mAn  
\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] ceased trolling terminallyCapricious [TC]

Karkat looked back to the twelve-screened computer. With no better ideas, he reached for the keypad.

======&gt; SWITCH 8

 

A young girl skipped along the street. A few days ago she'd asked the boy she liked if he wanted to see a movie with her, and _he said yes!_ It was really happening. Perhaps today she could actually admit how she really felt to him. In her mind, he already knew, and no words would need to be said. Their hands would find each other, then their heads, then their lips...  
More sensible thoughts prevailed. As far as he knew, this was just a day out between friends! She supposed that if he had really thought about it he might have realised that she'd come an awfully long way to hang out with him, but again, she reasoned she probably still needed to tell him. But she was determined that _something_ would happen tonight. By the time the sun rose, she resolved, Aradia Megido would have a boyfriend.

Sollux had arranged to meet at the cinema. There was a lot of history behind this building. There had been a cinema here since troll had first learned to rapidly burn images onto a reel of photosensitive film. Though that first cinema had long ago been destroyed (several times) another had been rebuilt, and again and again, to look identical to the original. Tall columns, detailed fornication, marble floors, right down to old-fashioned projection rooms, even though the cinema had switched to digital screens centuries ago. Aradia was excited to come here. So little of Alternian history remained intact to the modern day, so these small bastions of ancient culture thrilled her.  
She found her suitor in the lobby, and they went to buy tickets. The film they were to see was entitled _In Which An Archaeologist Explore Ancient Ruins Fraught With Traps; A Group Of Evil Scientists Seek The Power The Ruins Hold;_ etc. She didn't particularly care what the film was. She was interested in who she was going with.  
Together they bought snacks and sat in the theatre, all the while exchanging idle chatter. For historical accuracy there were no soft seats but wooden benches for the crowd to sit in. Quietly she held her hand by her side just so that it brushed his, and a chill went down her spine. Somewhere deep inside she knew he would become her moirail or even her matesprit.  
The lights went down and the film started. Though she didn't show it, she was kicking herself for going this long without telling him how she felt. She would have to do it after the film was over. She was determined. In the meantime, she settled for enjoying the movie.  
Enjoy it she did. Troll Harrison Ford grabbed her attention immediately, and by the time the basics of the plot had been laid out she was in the thrall of the tale of Pandora Jones. And then there were the ruins. She knew that from a film like this they wouldn't have any sort of historical accuracy, but already she was imagining finding a vast complex of ancient, trap-laden relics beneath her lawnring...

After the movie was over, and all the way out of the cinema, Aradia breathlessly discussed every facet of the movie with Sollux. The plot, the characters, the soundtrack, and above all, the very concept of being an action archaeologist like Pandora Jones. He didn't quite get her enthusiasm, but he smiled and laughed along nonetheless, humouring her fantasies. Her mind was full of ideas and concepts. While in town she would get the tools she'd need to start her own dig right at her home. She just knew she'd find something exciting! Her mind full of wonder, she said goodbye and flounced off in search of a new future finding the past.

She had completely forgotten her determination to announce her love for him. She would regret it later, but for now, her head was in the clouds. She wasn't to know, but left behind, Sollux stood with his arm outstretched for longer than he really needed to, his face a picture of disappointment.

 

Again, Karkat pressed the big blue button. The green goo machine fired off again, this time giving an image of the excitable young girl. He could even - if barely - make out her keen, wide eyes before the whole thing collapsed into sludge and got sucked up to fill another jar.  
It was strange. He never really knew Aradia when she was alive. He knew of her, of course - Sollux would hardly shut up about her - but having only really spoken to her after her death, seeing that she was once such a passionate girl intrigued him. And, in other ways, depressed him.


	3. Equius

\-- apocalypseArisen [AA] began trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG] --  
AA: i see y0ure fullfilling y0ure purp0se  
CG: WHAT DO YOU MEAN?  
AA: this is the m0st imp0rtant thing y0u will d0 here  
AA: y0u are the reas0n we are all here  
CG: WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?  
AA: y0u will understand s00n  
CG: JEGUS YOU WERE SO MUCH BETTER WHEN YOU WERE ALIVE.  
CG: NONE OF THIS STUPID CAGEY BULLSHIT.  
AA: but we never sp0ke when i was alive  
AA: 0h  
AA: y0u have been watching the screens  
CG: DUH.  
CG: I JUST SAW YOURS.  
CG: AMAZINGLY YOU LOOKED LIKE YOU USED TO BE ACTUALLY TOLERABLE.  
CG: I GUESS I CAN SEE WHAT SOLLUX SAW IN YOU.  
AA: wait  
AA: what?  
AA: ribbit  
CG: OH YEAH, YOU TWO NEVER DID MAKE A THING OF IT DID YOU?  
CG: HE USED TO NEVER SHUT UP ABOUT YOU.  
CG: HE LOVED THE HELL OUT OF YOU.  
AA: what  
AA: ribbit  
AA: i

Aradia stopped responding completely. Karkat wouldn't have been surprised for her to pause as the revelation hit her, but after a time he decided she must have broken down. And while it was tempting to leave her that way, the imps would get to her and it'd be more trouble than it was worth.

\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] began trolling centaursTesticle [CT] --  
CG: HEY MUSCLEHEAD.  
CG: YOU SHOULD PROBABLY CHECK ON YOUR GIRLFRIEND.  
CT: D --&gt; Which one?  
CT: D --&gt; My mor001 or my matesprit?  
CG: MATESPRIT? ARADIA?  
CG: DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH.  
CG: YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW ROMANCE WORKS.  
CT: D --&gt; What other 100ve could tran%end even the boundaries of b100d?  
CG: YOU ARE AN IDIOT.  
CG: THIS IS AN IMMUTABLE FACT.  
CG: LOOK, ARADIA JUST BROKE DOWN OR SOMETHING WHILE TALKING TO ME AND YOU SHOULD PROB ABLY GO CHECK ON HER.  
CG: WOULDN'T WANT THAT PRETTY LITTLE BODY YOU BUILT HER TO GET SMASHED UP WOULD WE.  
CT: D --&gt; Is that a threat?  
CG: NO, THAT IS A STATEMENT.  
CT: D --&gt; Good.  
CT: D --&gt; A threat from one such as you w001d be ine%cusable.  
CT: D --&gt; I shall find a return node but I fully e%pect to find her in full working order.  
\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] ceased trolling centaursTesticle [CT] --

Equius always got on Karkat's nerves. He just assumed he was a better person for his blood. He didn't even know what colour Karkat's blood was! Although Karkat had never pretended his blood was high on the haemospectrum.  
Not that he really cared about blood colour. Not really. Never.  
Well, this time Karkaat would have the upper hand. He had these screens here. Let's see something from horse-boy's childhood.

What was his place in the order again? Oh yeah.  
====== &gt; SWITCH 7

 

Everyone had always been a little bit scared of Equius. He was strong. Far too strong for a four-sweep-old. It was freakish. And, while pretty much every troll is a freak in some way, it's fear that brings out the worst in children.  
He endured their insults. He suffered their slings and arrows. If he were to fight back, his retribution would be hugely disproportionate, and his custodian had taught him better than that. But that is not to say it didn't upset him.  
Sometimes, it became too much. He had to hit something, to hurt something. But he couldn't attack them. He wouldn't allow himself. First, he would chase them, and they would run, their laughter ringing in his ears. Then, when he was quite sure they'd lost him, he would go out to the wastelands beyond the village to the secluded area he'd claimed as his own. There, he would break rocks with his fists until he'd calmed down. Aurthour would usually find him out there, and bring him a glass of milk and a towel. He was always grateful.  
This was one of those days. He chased, he fled, he found his space. He gathered the largest rocks he could find and shattered them. This was becoming less and less satisfying. Nothing was really lost - they were just rocks. And they didn't fight back, so there was no challenge. He would have to find something else.  
He thought he saw a glint of orange out the corner of his eye, but when he looked, there was nothing.

Later, they came to his house. This was not unusual. They would stand in his lawnring, throwing insults and other things, until he chased them away. Though they did not usually come so soon after already mocking him.  
The interminable circus repeated itself once again. He gave chase, though the direction they ran unsettled him. He lost them, though he felt they disappeared from him too deliberately. He went out to his space in the canyon.  
They had found it. This space, that was his retreat from the world, That was the one place he felt safe from their taunts. They had found it, and marred it, desecrating it with taunts in blue paint. Musclehead. Freak. Horse-lover. Written in the colour of blood.

Equius snapped. He didn't care any more what the consequences were - he was out for blood. They had followed him, mocking him from perceived safety. Once again, he gave chase, and once again, they ran, but this time he was not holding back. He caught up with them easily, and pounced on one, grabbing his shoulder. There was a satisfying snap as the skeleton, brittle under his fingers, shattered. The troll screamed and fell to the ground. Equius grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him up, snapping the spine. For once, not just angry fear, but terror was in their eyes. Equius reached for the troll's head, and crushed his skull with a hand.

There was no longer any laughter. No sign of their cruel mirth remained as they ran for their lives back to the safety of their homes and lusus. But He didn't care any more. Killing that one had been the most satisfying moment of his life. His hand was coated in yellow blood, and some remnants of brain. Curious. He had blue blood. Why were other people different?  
Once his mind was clear, he picked up the corpse. His neighbour would appreciate the gift; she always lamented what a nightmare her lusus was to look after. Vriska was probably the closest thing he had to a friend. Not that that meant much. She just wasn't one of the ones out there taunting him.

Vriska gratefully accepted the macabre gift, and invited him into her hive. Equius was careful not to break anything. Everything was so fragile to him.  
He asked about the yellow blood. She said different trolls had different blood colours. That there was a whole spectrum, from red through to, well, a very slightly purple red. That some trolls considered those on the bluer end of the spectrum to be superior to those on the redder.  
"That must be it," Equius said. "That's why they mock me. They are inferior. They don't know better, they just have bad blood."  
"Uh... sure," Vriska said.  
"You've given me a lot to think about. Thank you."

 

Karkat roused himself from a stupor. This was boring. Except the bit where he killed someone, that was pretty cool. It was interesting to see the stuck-up ass being so emotional. He filed that away under "useful to know" and possibly lord over him later if he ever tried to bring up the matter of blood colour again. Which he knew would happen. It came up every time they spoke.  
He'd almost forgotten to press the button. A slimy silhouette of the muscular young troll looking pensive turned into the usual blob of sludge.


	4. Sollux

\-- centaursTesticle [CT] began trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG] --  
CT: D --&gt; As much as it sickens me to apo100gize to low-b100ded %um like you  
CT: D --&gt; I admit that your report of Aradia's condition was accurate  
CT: D --&gt; So I will apo100gize for doubting you and thank you for bringing it to my attention  
CG: APOLOGY ACCEPTED.  
CG: THIS ONE TIME.  
CG: I JUST KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO DO THINGS WORTH APOLOGIZING FOR AGAIN. AND AGAIN.  
CG: BECAUSE YOU ARE A HUGE DICK.  
CG: WORSE.  
CG: YOU ARE A BORING DICK.  
CT: D --&gt; I do not know whether to compare you more to Vri%a or Nepeta  
CT: D --&gt; To rank you against either of them w001d be highly improper for one of your station  
CT: D --&gt; Though you remain infuriatingly stubborn about your b100d, I have no reason to think it is of any quality worth speaking of  
CG: SHUT UP ALREADY.  
CG: JUST BECAUSE I CALL YOU NAMES DOESN'T MEAN I HAVE BAD BLOOD.  
CT: D --&gt; That is but one of many reasons to assume that  
CG: YEAH BUT IT'S THE REASON YOU GOT SO STUCK-UP ABOUT BLOOD IN THE FIRST PLACE.  
CG: OH YES, I KNOW.  
CG: AND DON'T ASK HOW I FOUND OUT ABOUT THAT BECAUSE I WON'T TELL YOU  
CT: D --&gt; Does this mean that you were in a position of power over me?  
CG: YOU KNOW IT, BITCH.  
CT: D --&gt; Your language is only barely more e%cusable than this outrage  
CT: D --&gt; I need to find a towel  
CT: D --&gt; Nepeta does not seem to stock a single one  
CT: D --&gt; One infuriating transgression on top of e%cruciatingly many.  
\-- centaursTesticle [CT] ceased trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG] --

Karkat's mind drifted back to Aradia. Did it really shock her that much that Sollux liked her? Why? And would Sollux be as surprised that she used to like him back? Maybe she still did.  
That was the sort of thing he'd occasionally discuss with Nepeta, when he was forced to stoop so low by having nobody else interested to talk romance with. At least she was enthusiastic. But perhaps, rather than guessing with her, he could find out for himself what happened between them.

======&gt; SWITCH 12

 

Coding. That was what he did now. He was Sollux Captor, and he knew all the codes. Once, a close friend of him advised him in no uncertain terms to get a girlfriend. A lot of his friends had begun to get caught up in the throes of romance, so why not him? At least, that was what he reasoned. He didn't expect to fall in love so hard.  
Then, for that one, blissful day, his dream came true. He went out on a date with her. At least, he thought it was a date. She seemed more interested in the movie. After it finished she couldn't stop talking about Pandora Jones and archaeology in general. He tried to be courteous and humour her sudden obsession while bringing the subject round to the matter of the two of them as a couple, but she resisted his attempts to change the topic. Eventually she ran off to dig holes in her lawnring or something, before he ever got the chance to tell her how he felt.

Sollux fucking Captor. What a player.

He had long ago come to the conclusion that he had two brains in his head. That, he reasoned, explained his love of pairs, and his shifts from a boastful personality to a humble one. It wasn't the only possible explanation. Perhaps it was some effect from having a two-headed lusus. Perhaps it resulted from one of the few times he'd experimented with mind honey. But two minds was his best guess. Both of them tried to woo Aradia that day, and both of them failed. Now both wanted only to code - one to have something to brag about, the other out of shame.

The start of what would be a solid night's coding was interrupted by an unwelcome solicitor.  
AG: Hey sollllllllux!  
TA: oh no  
TA: not you  
TA: AD'2 told me two many thing2 about you  
AG: W8!  
AG: 8efore you 8lock me,  
AG: Can't we at least try to be friends?  
TA: and TV two  
TA: ii heard what you did two him  
TA: and ii really have no rea2on two want two talk two you  
AG: W8!!!!!!!!  
AG: Ple8se don't 8lock me!!!!!!!!  
AG: You are the 8est coder on Alternia!  
AG: You're the le8ding expert on 8piculture n8works!  
AG: I'm your 8iggest fan!  
The braggart in him rose to the surface of his turbulent mind. He didn't trust this girl in the slightest, but he couldn't resist his ego being stroked.  
TA: oh really?  
AG: Yes!!!!!!!!  
AG: Tot8lly honestly!  
AG: 8nd I hear you've been cooped 8p in your hive for weeks!  
AG: Weeeeeeeeks!  
AG: You should go out and get some fresh air!  
_It would be good for you._  
He heard a voice in one of his minds. It troubled him.  
AG: I hear you're a re8lly good ps8chic too!  
AG: Sh8w me wh8t you can do!  
AG: C8n you fly, Sollux?  
_It has 8een so long since you went for a fly._  
TA: what are you doiing  
AG: I know so m8ny people who wish they could fly!!!!!!!!  
AG: Fly l8ke a dr8gon or fly like a f8iry!  
TA: thii2 ii2 uncomfortable  
AG: M8ybe you should fly 8ut to see the g8rl who did this to you!!!!!!!!  
_You should show her how she made you feel._  
TA: pls  
TA: stop  
_8ring some mind honey.  
Then we can make everything 8etter._

He tried to resist, but he was in her thrall now. She had got his more impressionable mind, and now the other was blocked. Unable to act, but still able to watch in horror as she controlled him. As she made him take a jar of the wretched honey, and had him fly straight out through his window pane to the open world he had shunned.  
_Let's go see Aradia!_  
_You've wanted to visit her for so long._  
_8ut you know she wouldn't ever want to do anything with you!_  
_Except join in on one of her stupid digs!_  
She manipulated the very way he thought. This was beyond torment. She was making him hate the girl he loved. The mind watching from within was too upset to be angry. He couldn't even hate the girl controlling him. He could only hate himself.  
_Look, there it is!_  
_That's her hive with the stupid holes she likes more than you!_  
_Look, she's coming out!_  
_Let's show her what you can really do!_  
Every synapse still in his control screamed to stop, but his will was unheeded. His body and mind were not his own. He raised the jar to his lips and gulped a mouthful of the sweet, vile stuff.

He wanted to say, "I'm sorry."  
He wanted to say, "please forgive me."  
He wanted to say, "I love you."  
He wanted most of all to be anywhere but here, doing anything but this. He couldn't do this. Not him. Not to her. Anything but that. What did he do to deserve this?  
Those were his last thoughts before his mind was overloaded by the potent neurochemicals in the honey.

His eyes glowed, and the psychic energy built up in his twin brain burned out. If he were in any state to look, he would see the grass singe beneath him; he would see Aradia vanish, torn to molecules; he would see her hive crumble and her lusus die beneath the rubble. When the overload finished, he caught a glimpse of the wreckage as the evil girl released her grip on his mind.  
Immediately, he dropped himself to the ground, even harder than gravity would have. He refused to let himself get up for a long time. He was stupid, wretched and worthless. He had allowed himself to be forced into killing the one troll on the planet he most feared the death of. His one mind was angry, the other, distraught. He would have given anything to take back what had just happened.  
Anything.

 

Gingerly, Karkat pressed the button yet again. Sollux was one of his best friends, and he was a little embarrassed to see him so upset, even if this was nearly a sweep ago. He looked away from the screen, unable to watch any more.


	5. Vriska

\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] began trolling twinArmaggedons [TA] --  
CG: hey sollux.  
TA: hii KK  
TA: waiit  
TA: diid you hiit your cap2lock button by mii2take  
CG: no, i just don't feel angry right now.  
CG: hey, you know all those times i made fun of you for crushing on aradia so hard?  
CG: well  
CG: i'm sorry.  
TA: uh  
TA: okay  
TA: apology accepted  
TA: but that wa2 almo2t a 2weep ago  
TA: why 2ay that now?  
CG: i just saw how she died.  
TA: oh  
TA: iid rather not talk about that  
CG: yeah, okay.  
CG: i'm just sorry is all.  
CG: WHY THE FUCK DID I LET VRISKA ON MY TEAM.  
CG: FUCK, I EVEN ASKED HER TO JOIN.  
TA: becau2e you needed her  
TA: 2he2 not that bad anymore apparently  
TA: that2 what equiiu2 2ay2 anyway  
CG: WHEN DO YOU EVER TALK TO EQUIUS?  
TA: ii dont  
TA: but NP liike2 two talk about hiim  
TA: to TZ  
TA: who tell2 me  
TA: iit2 a weiird 2ort of chain  
CG: YEAH.  
CG: WELL I'M STILL ANGRY ABOUT VRISKA.  
CG: I'M GONNA GO LOOK AT SOME OF HER EMBARRASSING PAST  
TA: 2ound2 liike fun.  
\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] ceased trolling twinArmageddons [TA] --

======&gt; SWITCH 5

 

It wasn't uncommon for settlements, even quite large ones, to dwindle in size if there is a particularly violent troll around.  
In this case, it was a particularly violent lusus.  
The village on rocky wasteland had once held forty, maybe fifty hives and kids. Now, it was down to three, and a lot of ruins. Soon there would be only two.  
That third hive belonged to a kid with a passion for war, and weapons. He was ready for the colossal spider's attack. He'd been preparing for months, cleaning and repairing all of his military memorabilia and fortifying his hive. Machine guns hung out of every parapet, hand grenades stuffed into every cupboard and closet. His strife portfolio had been filled as well as he could afford. He was determined to survive.

When the spider, ten times the height of his hive, came within range he unloaded everything he had upon it. He managed to injure its forelegs, forcing it to slow down, but there were still six more. Gushes of azure blood painted the ground.  
_This is not the honour of a soldier.  
You should fight her hand-to-hand.  
Or... hand-to-mandible._  
Voices in his head. He tried to ignore them and focus on stopping the terrible beast.  
_Or at least get a 8igger gun.  
Don't you have a missile launcher?  
Why not fetch that instead of wasting your time on pea-shooters._  
Yes, the missile launcher. That could hurt it badly. It was buried in the basement, and would take time to dig out, but it could turn the tide of battle in his favour! He scurried downstairs and dug through the huge ammo stockpile.  
No longer being sprayed with bullets, the spider charged forwards as fast as six legs could carry her. Closing the gap took several minutes, but the boy did not return.  
"Where is it? Where is my missile launcher?"  
The spider reached the hive, and tore down several turrets, burrowing through the architecture.  
"Damn! I've lost my... my... missile launcher. I don't have one, do I?"  
The spider broke into the basement.  
"Fuck you, Vriska Serket."

The spider, sated, returned to its huge crag in the cliffs some way from the village of two. Vriska had led it back and watched it eat. Equius, following a trail of green blood, came to meet her.  
"What is your plan now, Vriska?"  
"Huh? What do you mean?"  
"You and I are the only people left. Surely you've noticed that. You will either find a new way to feed her, or you will let her die."  
"That sounds like an order."  
"It is necessary. There are no other options. You cannot buy any more time."  
Vriska wasn't listening, just watching her lusus. She only felt truly safe when it was eating. She wanted to enjoy those moments, not have to think about the fact that there might not be another.  
She narrowed her eyes at him. "I ain't letting her die."  
He peered over his glasses. "Then I hope you know what you're getting into."

A week passed. Vriska had largely forgotten about her lusus. She always tried to ignore its diet. All she had done was make it clear that Equius, as her friend, was out of bounds. But recently it was getting agitated - it needed food, and could not hunt. There was no other food for miles around. Vriska knew, and did nothing.

Two more days passed. This time, the beast could wait no longer. A screaming, hissing roar erupted from the plains as it bore down on the two remaining hives.  
Vriska ran out to meet it and begged, pleaded it to stop. It couldn't eat him. But it ignored her, almost trampling her in its haste to find food.  
Equius watched from his window. He had been expecting this. Vriska had betrayed him. It was just what blue-bloods do.  
Aurthour stood between the hives and the creature, bearing a long spear. He would defend Equius with his life.

When Vriska caught up, the two lususes were fighting. The musclebeast was too strong to be batted away like every other lusus that tried to defend its ward. The spider was already bearing several spear wounds. She couldn't decide whether to feel sympathy or scorn.  
"Equius!" she cried out, praying he could hear her. "She's out of control! Pleeeeeeeease get away while you still can!"  
Silence from the huge hive. Had he got away already? Was the musclebeast only fighting because it could not retreat? But no, the boy emerged from his hive, a large pickaxe in his hand held as though it were made of foam. He roughly pushed Vriska aside, badly winding her, before taking position in what was once a lawnring. He raised the pick high above his head, gripping so tight his fingers left an impression on its shaft, and brought it down to the ground.  
There was a loud rumble as the rocky ground cracked. Equius brought it down again, and again, making the crack longer and spreading out. Like a cobweb. The cracks extended beneath the heated fight beyond - blood in two shades of blue was splattered around the battlefield.  
A sixth mighty blow, and the ground started to cave in. Vriska had to leap aside, retreating from her hive. Equius sank into the crevasse he himself had made. The two lususes fell in.

The boy leapt from below, grabbing his custodian around the waist, and landed on the edge of the cliff. Aurthour scrabbled for purchase on the brink of the precipice, and, desperately flailing around, clutched onto one of Equius' pointed horns. It snapped under the weight, but, biting back the pain, he caught his guardian by the hand, and finally pulled him up to safety. They looked over the edge. The spider was trying to climb up the cliff, but the sides was too steep and smooth. It was trapped below.

Vriska found a new tunnel under her hive. She followed it, and it emerged at the bottom of this new canyon. There she found her lusus, desperately trying to eat a broken piece of horn. It turned to face her, rage in its numerous eyes. It bore down on her, lifted her as she screamed in protest.  
"No! Please don't! Please! Help! Equius! Someone!"  
She was helpless, caught in the arachnid's grip as it brought her close to its face, to its mouth. It shrieked angrily at her, and she stared straight into its throat...  
"Please, no! I can find more people! I will feed you! I promise!"  
It lowered its head to look her in the eyes, eight to eight. She was still gibbering promises. It would not eat her. Not yet. Slowly, it lowered her to the ground. She slumped to the floor.  
"Please... don't eat me... I don't want to die..."

Vriska broke into a sob. Until now, she had managed to not think about the death her lusus had caused. Now she would have to kill for it.  
She wouldn't be able to live with herself. But she had no choice.

 

Karkat pressed the button again. He didn't know what to think. Seeing Vriska so terrified and distraught was satisfying, but he also pitied her. Many trolls hated themselves on general principle, himself included, and Vriska was certainly no exception. But it was uncommon to hate yourself for the same reasons everyone else hated you.


	6. Terezi

\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] began trolling arachnidsGrip [AG] --  
CG: HEY VRISKA.  
CG: WHAT'S YOUR SPRITE LIKE?  
AG: She's kind of a huge 8itch!  
AG: Alw8ys wanting me to t8ke the time out to kill everything!  
AG: Kill 8ll the imps, Vriska!  
AG: Kiiiiiiiill theeeeeeeem!!!!!!!  
AG: XXXX(  
CG: LIKE LUSUS, LIKE WARD.  
AG: H8y!  
AG: Th8t was uncalled f8r!  
AG: You're 8lways l8ke that!  
AG: 8LUH 8LUH LET'S H8 ON THE SPIDER GIRL  
AG: SHE IS SUCH A 8ACKSTA88ING 8ITCH  
CG: SHUT UP ALREADY!  
CG: I JUST WANTED TO KNOW WHAT I SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR WHEN I GET TO YOUR LAND.  
CG: I GUESS IF THAT SPIDERSPRITE IS FOLLOWING ME AROUND I'D BETTER WATCH MY BACK.  
CG: HOW FAR HAVE YOU GOT NOW ANYWAY?  
AG: Land of C8ves and Silence.  
AG: Appar8ntly.  
AG: Th8t's what Aurothuersprite calls it.  
CG: OH WOW.  
CG: THAT MUST HAVE BEEN AN AWKWARD CONVERSATION.  
AG: G8d, tell me a8out it!  
AG: Actually he's not th8t bad.  
AG: Really pol8 and everything.  
AG: I h8 it.  
AG: He even forgave me for the wh8le thing with my lusus!  
AG: Stupid l8usy godd8mn forgiving 8rute!  
\-- arachnidsGrip [AG] ceased trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG] --

After all that girl had been through, it really wasn't surprising she was so screwed up. Karkat couldn't help but wonder how Terezi managed to deal with her in their Team Scourge days. She'd ranted to him at length about her after their partnership fell through. It was a wonder that they'd ever got along.

Maybe he could find out how they did it.

======&gt; SWITCH 2

 

T34MM4T3 W4NT3D

L3V3L 8 BL1ND S33R LOOK1NG FOR P4RTN3R TO PL4Y DU4L G4M3S  
1M HOP1NG TO B3COM3 A V1G1L4NT3 OF JUST1C3 B3C4US3 TH3 G4M1N1ST4TORS 4R3 US3L3SS!  
1F YOUR3 1NT3R3ST3D PL34S3 CONT4CT G4LLOWSC4L1BR4TOR ON TROLLSLUM

Terezi was a devotee of the official Flarp forums. She loved to read discussions about the game and its lore, and the complaints. So many complaints! But what she was really interested in was the complaints about other players. Dual teams that played unfairly, bending or breaking the rules to defeat other teams and claim the loot. This was a serious issue when lives were on the line, but the gaministrators that were supposed to enforce rules and punish the offenders were notoriously lax. The injustice was tangible.  
She had advertised on the Recruitment board for a teammate, so she could join their games and mete out justice personally. Solo play had all kinds of built-in restrictions and failsafes to ensure clouders played fair, but these were dropped for dual play - your only impetus to play fair was that if you were overly harsh, the other team's clouder could make things equally difficult for you.  
This was exploited far too much for her tastes. Justice had to be upheld.

She had already received a few replies to her ad. Some were predictably mocking her goals and telling her she'd die painfully. But a few looked like sincere attempts to join her cause. She picked the one she most liked the name of.

GC: H3LLO 4R4CHN1DSGR1P  
GC: WH4T DO YOU PL4Y 4S?  
AG: I'm a petticoat seagrift!  
AG: Only level 3 though.  
AG: Is that alr8? I've only been pl8ying for a week!  
GC: 1 R3CKON YOULL B3 4LR1GHT 1F W3 C4N L3V3L YOU UP A B1T  
GC: M4YB3 PL4Y SOM3 ON3-ON-ON3 G4M3S W1TH LOW R1SK  
GC: 1 DONT R34LLY C4R3 4BOUT YOUR L3V3L OR YOUR LOOT  
GC: 1 W4NT TO KNOW 1F YOUR3 S3R1OUS 4BOUT H3LP1NG M3 T4K3 DOWN T34MS TH4T DONT PL4Y BY THE RUL3S  
AG: I can defin8ly help with th8!  
AG: I neeeeeeeed it!  
AG: Okay just to expl8in  
AG: My lusus needs to 8 troll meat.  
AG: And she c8n't hunt for herself any more!  
AG: It's kind of a long story.  
AG: 8ut anyway I figure this g8me can help me hunt for her!  
AG: And if I'm hunting 8nyone it m8ght as well 8e 8ad guys!  
AG: :::;)  
GC: YOUR STORY CH3CKS OUT  
GC: 1 GUESS  
AG: What's your lusus like?  
AG: I alw8ys wanted to know what a normal lusus is meant to 8e like.  
GC: 1 DONT H4V3 4 LUSUS  
GC: 1TS K1ND OF 4 LONG STORY  
AG: Hahahahahahahaha ok8y!  
AG: So do I pass?  
AG: Am I on your team?  
AG: Pleeeeeeeease s8y yes!  
GC: OH 4LR1GHT  
GC: BUT ONLY B3C4US3 YOU 4SK3D SO N1C3LY  
GC: &gt;:]  
AG: Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh!  
AG: I h8ve the perfect name!  
AG: Team Scourge!!!!!!!!  
AG: 8ecause we're scourging 8ad players from the game!  
GC: 4LR1GHT TH4T SOUNDS GOOD

The next few days were a strict training regimen. Terezi clouded several campaigns for her new teammate until she reached level 7. She'd have gone further, but AG insisted that her lusus was starting to look very weak and would probably starve soon. They would have to play their first real game.  
Terezi browsed the forums for a suitably villainous team to take down. A lot of the more brutal ones were very high level, but these guys were about level 9. She could probably take them. They were Team Ragnarok, consisting of fateImitated and enmityHarbinger. Reportedly, they'd used the invincible Guardian creatures intended to block off inaccessible passages to trap a player, resulting in their death. She would enjoy bringing them down.

GC: H3Y  
GC: T34M R4GN4ROK VS T34M SCOURG3  
GC: L3TS DO TH1S R1GHT NOW  
FI: H4H4H4H4H4  
FI: OK4Y 1 GU3SS  
GC: 4R3 YOU COPY1NG TH3 W4Y 1 TYP3?  
FI: Y3S  
FI: 1TS K1ND OF WH4T 1 DO  
GC: F1N3 WH4T3V3R YOULL B3 D34D SOON  
FI: 1LL B3 CLOUD1NG SO NO  
FI: 3H C4N PL4Y  
FI: 4ND D1SM4NTL3 WH4T3V3R STUP1D CH4LL3NG3S YOU THROW 4T H3R  
FI: WH1L3 1 CRUSH YOUR T34MM4T3 L1K3 A BUG  
GC: GOOD LUCK TH3N  
GC: YOUR3 GO1NG TO N33D 1T &gt;:]

The grubs were plugged in, and soon the game was underfoot.  
EH: GC! Hey  
EH: partner! I hope you've said your last goodbyes to your  
GC: YOUR3 PR3TTY OBNOX1OUS  
GC: BUT YOU DONT N33D TO WORRY  
GC: W3 4LW4YS PL4Y BY THE RUL3S  
EH: sucker. You're such a

EH, by the looks of it, lived in a cave somewhere. She'd most likely be used to the layout, so some disorienting traps should be useful. She laid out some simple warmup enemies around the hanging hive.  
GC: OK4Y SOUNDS L1K3 4 D34L TO M3  
GC: OOPS WRONG W1NDOW  
EH: Huh?  
EH: with? Who are you making a deal  
GC: NON3 OF YOUR BUS1N3SS &gt;:]

Once the player, a Harpstriker, had cleared the immediate vicinity she got out some sort of phone. Probably talking to her partner. Terezi put the pressure on by spawning one of the more powerful foes around a corner. EH had to stop to battle it.

FI: teammate? What have you been telling my  
GC: WH4T  
GC: SH3 W4SNT SUPPOS3D TO T4LK TO YOU JUST Y3T  
GC: 1 GU3SS 1M GO1NG TO H4V3 TO L34RN TO D34L W1TH H3R W31RD W4YS!  
FI: DONT TRY 4ND L13 TO M3  
FI: 3H WOULDNT B3TR4Y M3  
GC: YOUR3 3X4CTLY R1GHT  
GC: 1 TR13D TO T4LK H3R OV3R TO MY S1D3 BUT SH3 W4SNT H4V1NG 1T!  
FI: TH1S 1S NOT HOW YOU PL4Y TH1S G4M3!  
GC: LOOK WHOS T4LK1NG  
FI: 444444RGH!  
FI: S4Y GOODBY3 TO YOUR T34MM4T3  
GC: VR1SK4?  
GC: 1 DONT N33D H3R 4NY MOR3  
FI: Why are you breaking up our teeeeeeeeam?  
GC: NO MOR3 TH4N YOU D3S3RV3

AG: Why is FI 8sking to form a new team?  
AG: Am I missing something?  
GC: 1M TURN1NG TH3M 4G41NST 34CH OTH3R!  
GC: PL4Y 4LONG W1TH H1M FOR NOW  
GC: 1LL F1N1SH OFF MY S1D3 OF THE C4MP41GN  
EH stumbled through numerous dizzying traps and ended up in a cave route that lead to a dead end. Terezi spawned the most powerful monster at her disposal.

GC: H3Y 3H  
GC: 1 JUST L34RN3D TH1S 4W3SOM3 TR1CK  
EH: bitch! Oh, you

Some time later, both players enjoyed the spoils of a successful campaign.  
AG: That was gr8, Terezi!  
AG: The w8y you tore their team to shrrrrrrrreads!  
AG: I wish I could do th8t.  
AG: Teach me!  
AG: Teeeeeeeeach meeeeeeee!  
GC: 1TS NOT TH4T H4RD R34LLY  
GC: YOU JUST N33D TO PL4Y ON TH31R W34KN3SS3S  
GC: TH3Y W3R3 ONLY 1N 1T FOR TH3 LOOT  
GC: SO TH3Y PROB4BLY D1DNT TRUST 34CH OTH3R TO B3G1N W1TH  
GC: TH3YR3 BOTH D34D NOW SO WH4T3V3R  
AG: Yeah!!!!!!!!  
AG: My lusus is f8nally eating well!  
GC: YOU PROB4BLY SHOULDNT H4V3 DON3 TH4T TO YOUR CLOUD3R  
GC: G3TT1NG H1M TO OFF H1MS3LF L1K3 TH4T  
AG: I'm sorrrrrrrry!  
AG: But I really needed his 8ody to feed her!  
AG: 8esides he was a 8ad guy.  
GC: Y34H 1 GU3SS  
GC: JUST 4S LONG 4S YOU DONT JUST GO K1LL1NG 3V3RYON3 W3 PL4Y 4G41NST 1 GU3SS 1TS F1N3  
AG: I pr8mise I'll only kill the 8ad ones!  
AG: Solemnly sw8rn  
AG: Cr8ss my heart 8nd hope t8 die.

 

Karkat pressed the button once again. It was becoming a reflex.  
The screen hadn't shown him anything new, really. GC was a great negotiator. He had been glad they were on the same team from the start. He'd never seen her eyes before, though.  
They were really quite pretty.


	7. Nepeta

\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] began trolling gallowsCalibrator [GC] --  
CG: OH RIGHT, FORGOT TO MENTION.  
CG: I WENT THROUGH THAT GATE YOU TOLD ME TO.  
CG: NOW I'M IN SOME SORT OF LAB OR SOMETHING, FUCK IF I CARE WHAT.  
CG: WATCHING EVERYONE GROW UP.  
GC: HOW 1N4PPROPR14T3!  
CG: YEAH, AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT.  
CG: IN FACT, YOU TOLD ME TO DO IT IN THE FIRST PLACE.  
CG: SO FUCK YOU.  
GC: ONLY 1F YOU 4SK N1C3LY  
CG: WHAT?  
GC: &gt;:]  
CG: WELL.  
CG: ANYWAY.  
CG: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO YOUR EYES?  
GC: TH4T 1S 4 R1D1CULOUSLY RUD3 QU3ST1ON!  
GC: 1M NOT GO1NG TO D1GN1FY TH4T W1TH 4 R3SPONS3  
GC: 3XC3PT 1 GU3SS 1 JUST D1D BUT 1 WONT 4NSW3ER 1T!  
CG: ALRIGHT FINE.  
CG: BE THAT WAY.  
CG: I ONLY ASK BECAUSE I THOUGHT THEY WERE PRETTY.  
GC: SWOOOOOOOON  
GC: YOU R34LLY KNOW HOW TO T4LK TO 4 WOM4N, K4RK4T  
GC: 1N F4CT TH4T M1GHT 3V3N B3 TH3 B3ST YOUV3 DON3 4T 1T Y3T  
CG: NO I REALLY MEAN IT.  
CG: YOU HAD NICE EYES.  
CG: PITY YOU DON'T HAVE THEM ANY MORE.  
CG: OR THEY JUST DON'T WORK. WHATEVER.  
GC: SUR3LY TH3R3 4R3 OTH3R TH1NGS 4BOUT M3 YOU F1ND N1C3  
CG: NONE WHATSOEVER.  
GC: NOW TH4T K4RK4T 1S HOW YOU 34RN 4 WOM4NS BL4CK H34RT  
GC: OR H3R SP4D3 1 GU3SS?  
GC: BUT TH4T SOUNDS S1LLY  
GC: YOU JUST GO H4V3 FUN 1N YOUR VOY3UR ST4T1ON  
\-- gallowsCalibrator [GC] ceased trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG] --

Stupid girl. Karkat was good with women. He should know; he'd got more than enough advice and pointers from the vast number of romantic comedies he'd watched and loved. Sometimes it seemed the only other person who had any idea how romance even worked was Nepeta. Or maybe Eridan, he guessed, on a good day, but that guy could be kind of whiny. And he had no idea how to go about getting a matesprit. Kind of sad, really.

Either troll would be good to watch on the screen. But which?  
Hmm.

======&gt; SWITCH 9

 

The tall grass rustles softly in the breeze. The deeralope sharply turns from its grazing to bare its fangs, but there is nothing there. It is sure it heard something. But perhaps it really was the wind. A few more mouthfuls of grass, now alert. A shadow in the corner of its vision. It turns its head, but still sees nothing. It is not an unintelligent beast. Unintelligent beasts are dead. There is a predator here.  
The buck turns to where it thinks the threat is, and growls, and gnashes its pointed teeth. It will not go down easily. There is a bush, that is shaking perhaps just a little too much for this breeze. The deeralope approaches, preparing to savage whatever unsuspecting creature is lying in wait for it. But there is nothing there.  
Pain! Something slashed at its flank, forcing the beast to turn around. It sees something green and flowing darting out of its field of vision. It tries to pursue, but loses the aggressor. Then the green creature strikes again. The buck gets a better view this time - it is a troll, dressed in a green coat far too big for it. The troll charges, and manages to jump on its back.  
The deeralope kicks and bucks in an attempt to get her off, but it is too late - her claws sink into its throat.

Nepeta stood proudly over her kill. It was her first real hunt without her lusus' support. Pounce de Leon sauntered over from her hiding spot (kitties are so good at sauntering) and nuzzled at her to congratulate her. This was a very important day! She had hunted for herself.  
With quite a lot of effort, Nepeta and Pounce dragged the carcass back to their hive, to eat. A good kill should always be followed by a good feast, as the lusus had taught her. It was a tough beast, but Nepeta's sharp claws made short work of butchering the animal. This food could last days! But she would probably hunt more anyway, because it was so much fun.

After eating, Nepeta picked her teeth with a large stick. She couldn't clean herself properly if she didn't have a clean mouth, after all. Cats don't have to do this but cats have better kinds of teeth! It was a very pointy stick, and at one point she accidentally pricked her gum. She dropped it in shock, as she tried to press on the cut with her fingers to help it heal. Some green blood dripped out from under her hands but she soon decided she was alright. This happens a lot.  
The stick landed in the buck's dead body. She picked it up, and it was all covered in sticky red blood from the carcass. She'd never get her mouth clean with this! She tried to wipe the blood off on the wall.

She looked at the pattern she'd made. It looked a bit like a tree, like the ones outside her cave! This gave her an idea. She dipped the stick back in the blood, and began drawing on the wall. A tree turned into a grassy hill. A deeralope was drawn on the hill, and, behind it, a very clever and crafty girl sneaking up on it! Behind her a kitty watches on approvingly. It was a great drawing of the hunt she just did. She'd keep it on here to commemorate the day! The drawing was a little clumsy but she was sure she'd get better with time.

AC: :33 &lt; hey karkitty!  
CG: WHAT NOW?  
AC: :33 &lt; guess what i just did!  
CG: FOUND YET ANOTHER WAY TO ANNOY ME?  
CG: KILLED SOMETHING ELSE AND BATHED IN ITS BLOOD?  
AC: :(( &lt; you dont s33m very happy today  
CG: REALLY.  
CG: YOU THINK SO?  
CG: GREAT DETECTIVE WORK, GENIUS.  
AC: :33 &lt; thank you!!  
AC: :33 &lt; but im not as clawfur as you are with this sort of thing  
CG: YEAH, WELL.  
CG: I GUESS I'M JUST GOOD WITH PEOPLE.  
CG: AT LEAST I THOUGHT I WAS.  
AC: :33 &lt; what happened?  
CG: I'D RATHER NOT TALK ABOUT IT.  
AC: :33 &lt; well  
AC: :33 &lt; if you say so!  
AC: :33 &lt; maybe my news will cheer you up!  
AC: :33 &lt; i hunted something for the first time today!  
AC: :33 &lt; by myself!  
AC: :33 &lt; pounce is really really prowd of me!  
CG: THAT'S GREAT.  
CG: I'M SURE YOU MUST BE REALLY PROUD OF YOURSELF.  
AC: :33 &lt; i am!  
AC: :33 &lt; so prowd i drew a picture of it on my wall  
AC: :33 &lt; you should come s33 it!  
CG: I DON'T REALLY WANT TO LEAVE MY HIVE RIGHT NOW.  
CG: OR EVER.  
CG: IN FACT I REALLY DON'T WANT TO TALK TO ANYONE.  
CG: INCLUDING YOU.  
CG: SORRY BUT I'M JUST NOT CUT OUT TO BE YOUR BEST FRIEND.  
CG: GO FIND SOMEONE ELSE.  
CG: OR HELL WEAR A PELT AND GO LIVE WITH THE ANIMALS, I DON'T REALLY CARE.  
AC: :(( &lt; but i like you!  
AC: :(( &lt; im not going to just abandon you  
AC: :33 &lt; although dressing up like an animal sounds like a lot of fun  
CG: LISTEN  
CG: NEPETA.  
CG: JUST DO ME A FAVOUR AND FIND SOMEONE WHO'S MORE WORTHY OF BEING YOUR FRIEND, OKAY?  
AC: :33 &lt; well maybe i could go m33t new people  
AC: :33 &lt; but im not giving up on you!

Nepeta thought for a moment. Okay so maybe Karkat was a bit of a rotten friend sometimes. But he was fun! And she liked him. She didn't really know why but every time she talked to him she couldn't help but giggle.  
She picked up the stick again, and dipped it back in the blood. That would dry out soon. But she didn't need long. She found another section of her wall, and drew a little picture of her and Karkat playing together. They were having a lot of fun. The thought made her smile.  
She thought a little longer, then drew a heart over the picture. It felt right. And maybe it'd remind her not to break off with him completely.

 

Once again, the blue button. A slimy image of Nepeta's grin appeared like six others before it.  
Karkat's mind was elsewhere. Did she really feel that way about him? Maybe it was a bad idea to spurn her like that on that day. But he had other things to think about at the time. Things he would really rather not think about again.  
He sighed. She was really kind of a nice girl. She annoyed the hell out of him, but then so did everyone else. That was normal. Perhaps if he'd spent more time with her, they could have had something really good together.  
Hell. Maybe they still could.


	8. Feferi

\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] began trolling arsenicCatnip [AC] --  
CG:HEY, ARE YOU THERE?  
CG: NEPETA?  
CG: ANSWER ME DAMMIT.  
CG: FINE I'LL DO IT YOUR WAY.  
CG: *KARKAT GOES UP TO NEPETA AND BUGS HER FOR SOMETHING*  
CG: *THEN LICKS HIS PAW OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT*  
CG: HUH, I GUESS YOU'RE REALLY NOT THERE.  
CG: ARE YOU ASLEEP?  
CG: I WONDER WHAT YOUR MOON IS LIKE.  
CG: SOLLUX SAID IT'S REALLY PURPLE.  
CG: ANYWAY I'M GOING OFF TRACK HERE.  
CG: WHEN YOU WAKE UP,  
CG: I JUST WANTED TO SAY  
CG: IF YOU EVER WANT TO TALK TO ME  
CG: I'M HERE.  
CG: YOU'RE BETTER TO TALK TO THAN MOST OF OUR FRIENDS.  
CG: I'LL PROBABLY NEVER SAY THAT AGAIN SO REMEMBER IT.  
CG: SO YEAH.  
CG: BYE.  
\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] ceased trolling arsenicCatnip [AC] --

Well that was awful. You picked exactly the wrong time to start flirting with a girl. Way to go, Karkat Vantas.  
He spent a moment staring at the jars of green fluid. More than half of them were full now. He wondered what exactly that stuff was. It had been copied off the others somehow and then, what? He didn't know. He hadn't even kept track of which jar contained who, for all that it mattered.  
He waited a bit to see if Nepeta would reply, but she must have been really out of it. Not that he really cared or anything. No, Karkat would never have some silly crush for someone. It always annoyed him when in films the protagonist would just sit there pining over whoever they harboured mating fondness for rather than just go for it.  
In real life too, for that matter. Take Eridan, for example. He spent sweeps faintly hoping for a more flushed relationship with Feferi, and what did it get him? Nothing.  
He started to wonder how it all started. Or why Feferi started doing what she did. Hmm...

======&gt; SWITCH 11

 

Feferi swam the shallows along the coast. She hated doing this, but it was necessary. The weakest should be cared for, not killed, but she could only target the weak. Stronger foes would kill her. And she was too important to allow herself to die.  
A hive stood on the precipice hanging over the sea. Within it dwelled a troll she had found out a little about - he was a green-blood, a member of a strange cult of some sort, a peaceful boy, and most importantly, had a large hoofbeast lusus.  
Silently, she climbed the low cliff and approached the house. The custodian was grazing outside. Good - perhaps she could get it without too much trouble. She drew her trident and crept up on it.  
The hoofbeast noticed her, and bellowed loudly. The clown-faced boy stepped out and shouted a warning. He must have held little regard for an heiress, but she didn't blame him. She was, after all, a threat.  
The boy had spent most of his time withdrawn from society, and was not practiced in combat. Feferi defeated him easily. Victory gave her no joy. She took no pleasure in the hunt. It was simply a necessity. She killed the custodian and threw both bodies into the sea.  
She always treated those she culled with respect. Not wanting to just leave the body, she found someone else - another boy, sitting in a boat - and let the body go near him. Hopefully he would treat the dead with respect.

Later, Feferi sat on the small island above her hive. It was where she came to lament. There was nothing here but an old galleon and the vast expanse of the ocean, opaque from above.  
She loved her lusus, and felt privileged to have her as a custodian. But the responsibility was dire. She couldn't go on like this. Sooner or later, her conscience would get the better of her, and then who would feed Gl'bgolyb? Who would prevent the extinction of the troll race?  
"Whhat are you cryin' about?"  
Feferi jumped, and almost fell to the ground. "Who are you?" she demanded.  
"I liwe here," came the reply. The speaker was a boy, about her age, with a strange dress sense and a purple highlight in his hair. And an unusual accent. "Whho are you?"  
"But no one lives here! There's just that old ruin."  
"That 'old ruin' is my hiwe. I'we liwed here my whhole life."  
"How come I've never seen you?"  
He shrugged. "I don't come outside often. You newer said whho you are."  
She found herself telling him everything - not just who she was, or why she was there, but her whole history, and her emotional turmoil. He was just a very good listener, she guessed. She was relieving herself of burdens she didn't know she had.  
When she was finished, Eridan looked at her, deep in thought. "Maybe I can help you," he said, simply.  
Feferi was taken aback. "How?" She asked. "Why?"  
"Howh often do I get the chance to help a pretty girl out? I could hunt lususes for you. It's not much different to whhat I do anywhay with roleplayin'."  
"You'd do that?"  
"Sure. It sounds like fun."  
Immediately, she caught him in a tight hug. Perhaps there was an end to all the madness. For the first time in a long while, she was excited.

 

Another button press, another jar of gunk. It always felt weird to Karkat that he knew the girl who would have become Empress. It was even weirder to know how nice she was. Not troll-like at all.  
Someone so high and mighty reduced to the same indistinguishable goo as everyone else. There was something very satisfying about it.


	9. Tavros

\-- cuttlefishCuller [CC] began trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG] --  
CC: )(I KARKAT!  
CC: Can I ask you something?  
CG: RED OR BLACK?  
CC: It's not about ROMANC-E, silly!  
CC: Well I guess it kinda is.  
CC: You've been Sollux's friend for a long time, right?  
CC: Are you maybe )(is MOIRAIL?  
CG: WHOA WAIT WHAT  
CG: TIME OUT.  
CG: I'M NOT GOING TO HELP YOU IF YOU SAY STUPID THINGS LIKE THAT, OKAY?  
CG: WE'D BE TOTALLY INCOMPATIBLE.  
CG: WE'RE BOTH TOO UNSTABLE.  
CC: T)(at )(asn't stopped Nepeta s)(ipping you two so muc)(!  
CC: 38P  
CG: OH GOD WHAT.  
CC: -Exactly!  
CC: But t)(at's not w)(at I wanted to glub with you about.  
CG: WELL GET TO THE POINT THEN.  
CC: Well Sollux and I )(ave been matesprits for a w)(ile now.  
CC: I wanted to get )(im a present!  
CC: Or make )(im one.  
CC: Do you know w)(at I could do for )(im?  
CG: YES THAT IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING YOU SHOULD BE DOING.  
CG: ASKING SOMEONE WHAT KIND OF GESTURE TO GIVE YOUR MATESPRIT.  
CG: I LOVE HOW PERSONAL AND HEARTFELT THAT IS.  
CC: )(---EY!  
CC: You're just as bad!  
CC: Remember w)(en it was Eridan's last wriggling day?  
CC: And you asked me w)(at would be a good present to give )(im?  
CC: T)(en you told me to kiss )(im.  
CG: YEAH WELL I WASN'T THE RELATIONSHIP GURU I AM NOW BACK THEN.  
CG: THAT WAS A WHOLE SWEEP AGO.  
CG: KIND OF EMBARRASSING REALLY I'D RATHER WE JUST BOTH FORGET ABOUT IT.  
CC: Y--ES!  
CC: T)(at was really weird.  
CC: Presents for wriggling day? W)(ere did you get an idea like t)(at?  
CG: I DON'T REALLY REMEMBER NOW.  
CG: SPEAKING OF ERIDAN, HAVE YOU TWO MADE PEACE YET?  
CC: No...  
CC: )(e's still really mad.  
CC: )(e's angling for trouble every step of our way!  
CG: FEFERI.  
CG: PLEASE.  
CG: NO FISH PUNS.  
CC: FIN---E!  
CC: 38(  
CG: I JUST HAVEN'T HEARD FROM HIM IN A WHILE.  
CG: I'M GETTING WORRIED ABOUT HIM.  
CC: Okay I was wrong you s)(ould definitely be )(is moirail.  
CG: THIS IS WORSE THAN AWFUL.  
CG: STOP TRYING TO HOOK ME UP WITH ALL YOUR BOYFRIENDS.  
CC: 38P  
CG: SERIOUSLY NOW THOUGH.  
CG: YOU'VE BEEN SOLLUX'S MATESPRIT FOR, WHAT, A WEEK?  
CC: A week in five )(ours!  
CG: UH, OKAY.  
CG: PERHAPS THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO IS STOP ERIDAN TRYING TO GET BETWEEN YOU.  
CC: BUT )(OW DO I DO THAT??  
CG: I DON'T KNOW.  
CG: I'LL ASK TAVROS.  
CG: HE SEEMS GOOD AT NOT HATING PEOPLE. PROBABLY THE ONLY THING HE'S GOOD AT.  
CG: I'LL GET BACK TO YOU.  
CC: Okay! T)(ANKS KARKAT!!!  
\-- cuttlefishCuller [CC] ceased trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG] --

Tavros probably wouldn't be able to help much, really. But it was worth a try. If that guy managed to become friends with Vriska, after she crippled him and killed his teammate, he'd certainly be the guy to ask about calming Eridan down. At least, if he was any good at actually giving advice.  
Karkat sat, lost in thought. He could afford a few minutes idle. He didn't really like Feferi that much anyway. He did care about Sollux and Eridan, though. It would be best if he could end their feud. Tavros. He'd be the key. Even if he had to wring the answer out of him.

Maybe he could find some sort of incentive first.

======&gt; SWITCH 4

 

There was a solitary tree out in the middle of the field. It was an old oakwood, very tall, with branches from the bottom to the top. Tavros always liked climbing it. He could get up high, feel the wind in his hair, and forget about the world for a while, nestled in its boughs.  
Today, however, he climbed with a purpose. He'd heard a rumour that a certain species of bird could, when brought into the game of Fiduspawn, could become a powerful combatant. That species of bird, he knew, made its nest in this very tree. With six oogonibombs in a pouch on his belt, he climbed with determination in his eyes.  
It was slow going. Obvious movement would startle the birds and scare them away, so he had to be careful, but he was practiced. Slowly, deliberately, he co-ordinated his arms and legs to silently ascend the tree.  
There! A nest. The distinctive kind, made from broken glass and rusted wires. He always knew that scralcons were dangerous creatures, even compared to most on Alternia. But it was news that they were compatible with Fiduspawn.  
He drew level, oogonibomb in hand. There were three eyases in the nest, with down like pipe cleaners. One day, with care, they would grow knifelike feathers. Certainly, under his care, one of these chicks would. He chose one, and willed it to be calm. It was strange that he had this way with animals, but if he simply thought at them he could control them. He'd considered talking to someone about it, but that might seem weird.  
No. No distractions. Either of the parents could return soon with a fresh meal. He'd have to work fast. The eyases wouldn't be able to fly yet, but if they really panicked and ran out of the nest they'd be in trouble, and he'd have no catch. Only one needed to survive, but it would be a shame to kill two innocent unsuspecting birds.  
Tavros took aim and threw the squishy ball. It sailed clear over the nest and fell harmlessly to the ground with a faint splashing sound. Damn. He never was very good at aiming. Okay, five more. Another throw. This one landed just beyond the nest, and squashed harmlessly on the branch. Two of the birds were startled, but the third, his target, remained calm. Careful now. Try not to scare those two any further...  
A third bomb was hurled into the nest, and this hit its mark directly. The other two scrambled to the edge of the nest, but thankfully stayed inside. What he hadn't accounted for was how light the creatures were - the third bird barrelled over with the ball stuck on it, clear out of the nest and onto the branch beyond. He willed the creature to keep its balance, but the poor chick wasn't strong enough. It was doing all it could to stay on the branch as the oogonibomb's paralytic fluids oozed over it.

A screeching cry. One of the adult birds was returning! The distraction broke Tavros' concentration, and the caught bird fell off the branch. He was annoyed, but this soon left him for panic as the large bird flew in. These creatures could easily kill a troll if enraged. And it would be. He scrambled away from the nest, trying to descend as quickly but safely as he could.  
The parent gave a cry to find its missing third child. Tavros' hands slipped, and he fell from his high branch. Flailing, he scraped his arms against several branches. His body was scratched, battered and bruised by the whipping boughs. Finally, his hand caught something sturdy and he swung back into control. He was very low - any further and he'd have hit the ground, likely breaking his back. Or worse. He didn't want to think about what would happen if the fall had paralysed him.

He let himself down gently. Not far away was the fallen chick, oogonibomb still stuck to it. Carefully, he walked over. It was lying still. Was it dead? The ball was still stuck to it, and starting to consume the creature. You weren't supposed to touch it when it was doing this. He brought his hand close anyway and - yes! Its eyelids flickered open. The creature was alive. Soon, the bomb would consume the bird fully, and he'd have his own scralcon to raise.  
He'd often watched them flying. Such speed and grace. Flight was a magnificent thing. If he could fly, that fall would have been no problem for him. If the hatchling could fly, tumbling out of the nest would be no problem.  
He would take this bird, and raise it, and teach it to fly. He would never fly. But that was no reason to deny such wonder from the bird.

 

The green silhouette appeared once again, this one of Tavros cradling something in his arms. The swollen squishy ball thing wasn't copied, naturally. The ninth jar was filled. Flight. That was all Karkat had learned and he already knew Tavros loved the idea, though it'd be interesting to know if he still had the bird. Could be useful.

But anyway. He had a mission to carry out. Better get down to business.


	10. Eridan

\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] began trolling adiosToreador [AT] --  
CG: HEY TAVROS.  
CG: HELP ME OUT HERE.  
CG: ONE FRIEND TO ANOTHER.  
AT: uH,  
AT: wERE WE EVER,  
AT: rEALLY FRIENDS,  
CG: WHAT  
CG: OF COURSE WE'RE FRIENDS.  
CG: HOW LONG HAVE I KNOWN YOU?  
CG: PUPA PALS, REMEMBER?  
AT: oH,  
AT: tHAT'S GOOD,  
AT: tHAT YOU THINK THAT,  
AT: vRISKA WAS SAYING YOU DON'T LIKE ME,  
CG: WELL VRISKA'S A LYING BITCH AND YOU KNOW THAT.  
CG: SHE FUCKED YOU RIGHT UP THE SEED FLAP AND YOU STILL LIKE HER.  
CG: HOW DO YOU MANAGE IT?  
CG: SERIOUSLY I MEAN THAT.  
CG: THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO ASK YOU ABOUT.  
AT: uH,  
AT: wELL,  
AT: sHE KISSED ME,  
CG: WHAT THE FUCK.  
AT: bUT THEN SHE GAVE UP,  
AT: aND SAT DOWN FOR A WHILE,  
AT: aND THEN SHE CAME WITH ME ON MY ADVENTURES,  
AT: sO,  
AT: sHE'S ACTUALLY KIND OF NICE,  
CG: ALRIGHT ALRIGHT, I GET IT.  
CG: THIS DOESN'T REALLY HELP ME THOUGH.  
CG: I'M TRYING TO GET ERIDAN TO STOP TRYING TO KILL SOLLUX.  
AT: wAIT,  
AT: wHAT,  
CG: YOU DIDN'T KNOW?  
CG: SOLLUX AND FEFERI ARE MATESPRITS NOW.  
CG: ERIDAN IS FUCKING JEALOUS.  
AT: oH,  
AT: wELL,  
AT: mAYBE HE SHOULD JUST REMEMBER FEFERI DOES WHAT SHE WANTS,  
AT: aND HE SHOULD LOOK FOR SOMEONE ELSE,  
AT: rATHER THAN MAKE HER NOT LIKE HIM,  
CG: YOU'RE PROBABLY RIGHT.  
CG: I DON'T KNOW IF HE'LL LISTEN THOUGH.  
AT: dO YOU WANT ME TO TELL HIM THAT,  
CG: NO, I WILL.  
CG: HE'LL LISTEN TO ME.  
\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] ceased trolling adiosToreador [AT] --

There was one more thing Karkat felt he should do before talking to Eridan. It really was inevitable at this point.

======&gt; SWITCH 10

 

A thick fog obscured anything beyond a few yards from Dualscar's ship. It was something of a signature of this campaign. Six Petticoat Seagrifts would descent upon a ghost ship haunted by the souls of long-dead Gamblignants. Untold treasures might lie within. If nothing else, the other Seagrifts would have nourishing lusi to further curry favour with Feferi. They'd become quite close now. His feelings for her had strengthened in the perigees since they'd met, and he was sure something similar was sparking in her.

Orphaner Dualscar shook his head. This was not the time to be Eridan. It was a roleplay, after all. The fog was impenetrable, but a truly skilled seagrift could read the waves. The water around his ship rippled in anticipation of something coming along the starboard.  
The Orphaner fired the starboard cannons. Balls of steel hurtled through the air, splashing into the water beyond. Five splashes. But six shots had fired, meaning that the last had hit its target. But no sound of splintering. Whichever ship he'd hit was well-upgraded.  
He pulled to the right, and something loomed out of the fog. It was a ship. Blue, with eight sails. The name on the side revealed it to be the AIS Arachnid.  
It was still in the water, and completely abandoned.

Cautiously, wary of traps, Dualscar pulled up to the Arachnid and prepared to board. He fired a roped harpoon over the sails of the ship, and swung across. Gun at the ready, he scanned the deck for any sign of life. Whoever had owned this ship was elsewhere. Could be already dead, but given that the ship was pristine, that struck him as unlikely. Had the ghost ship got here?  
His question was easily answered as he walked to the ship's starboard side. A series of grapples pinned the ship to another, greenish and smoky. It was the ghost ship. Someone had beaten him to it!  
Nonetheless, it wasn't really the gamblignants he was after. He was here to hunt.

Taking care to cover his back, he boarded the new ship again. It looked as though a fierce battle had taken place here. Dice littered the deck, almost like traps. There were no corpses - they were ghosts, after all - but there were definite signs of struggle. He couldn't tell for sure who had won. If the seagrift had taken them all down by himself, he was a fierce combatant, and not one to be trifled with. Dualscar bore that in mind.  
A rattling sound. As he watched, a set of dice were pulled together then floated into the air. A near-transparent hand held them, and a gamblignant ghost became visible. So, the fallen spirits came back. Not giving them a chance, he fired his harpoon gun. The searing-hot payload of this particular model was not incredibly effective against the ghost, but it certainly dealt some damage. Another shot and the ghost was burned back into the ether. The dice fell to the deck. This, however, must have counted as a roll - a set of ghostly green shuriken were flung from the space above the dice, which the Orphaner narrowly dodged. He retreated below deck.

There were more signs of combat down below. The main hold was empty, presumably to better facilitate a large-scale battle. The other seagrift must have taken some hits here, as flecks of azure blood dotted the ghostly wood here and there. More dice, in a variety of shapes and colours, some of which looked like they were starting to move again. He hurried to the door on the far end.  
There were sounds of battle from the other side. The other seagrift was already duelling the captain. The set of dice he had sounded particularly powerful. The seagrift, meanwhile, sounded as though she were fighting with a cutlass. And she was definitely female. She swore like a sailor.  
Dualscar was accosted by more ghosts. They rolled their dice, triggering a barrage of esoteric effects. He opened fire on them, killing three, but was forced to resort to his own sword for the last two. When a swift thrust took out the last one, a similar sound came from beyond the door. Not wanting to waste a second, he burst through it, and saw who stood beyond.

She took his breath away. Long, shaggy hair, mismatched horns, a freakish eye... he found her utterly repulsive. She hadn't said a word to him, yet already the bile was building up in his protein chute. He didn't even notice the huge pile of gold and gems in the captain's room - he could only stare at her, baring his teeth, as she scooped up the fluorite octet she had won. She either didn't notice his arrival or ignored him, instead focusing on the large store of loot. Not even the largest sylladex could carry all of this, so she simply took a pair of rocket boots and a few handfuls of shiny things.  
This was his chance to take her out. Surely someone like her would have a huge lusus, that could keep Gl'bgolyb fed for weeks. It would be to his best advantage if he could kill her while her back was turned.  
And yet he couldn't. He couldn't bring himself to kill her. She repulsed him, and he longed for her to hate him. Together they could make rivers run rainbow with blood. Instead, he fired a warning shot, sending a harpoon harmlessly into the treasure pile.  
The girl turned around, and laughed. "Too late, boy!" she mocked. "I got the loot! You're just spider food." She rolled the eight eight-sided dice, but rolled low. A blue bee appeared in front of him and stung him on the nose. As he rubbed the stung spot, she cursed and picked the dice back up.  
He was saved from a more brutal attack by a cannonball crashing into the treasure mound. Both trolls looked back into the main hold. The ghosts had returned. Again.

A higher roll from the girl sent most of the ghosts flying back from a burst of energy. The rest were forced back by shots from Dualscar. Together, they worked to take down the ship's crew.  
"You're not off the hook, boy!" the girl shouted across the melee. "I need your body to feed my lusus!"  
"Well I need your lusus to feed my friend's," the boy shouted back.  
A dice roll sent a mortar shell into a ghost, destroying it. A harpoon took out the one behind.  
"Maybe we can come to a deal," he suggested. "We'll take out the other four. Share the spoils." Harpoon gun still in one hand, he held out the other.  
She took it and shook. "Cahoots it is. Deal."  
Another harpoon finished off the last gamblignant ghost.

Back above deck, both seagrifts returned to their ships. They worked in a sort of harmony to hunt the other players, the kind of harmony where you fire cannonballs at each other and pretend it was an accident. Still, belligerent though they were, they fought together, and took down their four marks. The fog cleared to herald the end of the campaign. Two corpses had been dumped on the Arachnid, with the other two seagrifts sitting quietly on the deck. Spinneret Mindfang's abilities sickened Dualscar. But then so did everything else about the girl. He had to see her again.  
"We should do this more often," he commented.  
"It's been fun," she agreed, her lips curled into a dark grin. "I'm Vriska."  
"Eridan."  
"I'll hunt you down when I need you, Eridan. Until then..."  
She fired a volley of cannonballs over his ship, just enough to damage the mast. She laughed as she sailed away, savouring his enraged roar.

At last, Eridan turned to the shore. There, four lusi stood in wait for their now-missing charges. He reached for his harpoon gun.

 

The green slimy silhouette was that of a cold-hearted killer. It was a side of his friend that Karkat rarely saw. Now, the hate-crush on Vriska, that was not news. Eridan's bad luck in love and hate was a subject he was extremely familiar with it. And it looked like he'd have to plumb those depths once again.


	11. Kanaya

\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] began trolling caligulasAquarium [CA] --  
CG: WE NEED TO TALK.  
CA: kar this is really not the best time  
CA: i dont wwanna get caught  
CG: ARE YOU SNEAKING UP ON SOLLUX?  
CG: YOU’RE SNEAKING UP ON SOLLUX, AREN’T YOU.  
CG: ANSWER ME, YOU COLOSSAL STEAMING TURD!  
CA: fine yes i am  
CA: i think ill actually get him this time  
CG: SEE THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT.  
CG: STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING AND LISTEN TO ME.  
CG: YOU NEED TO STOP GOING AFTER THAT GUY.  
CA: kar i knoww hes your friend and all but a guys got to defend his honour  
CA: that pukeblooded landdwweller stole my girl  
CA: so im goin to reduce him to yelloww paste  
CG: YEAH RIGHT.  
CG: HE COULD BEAT YOU WITH HIS EYES CLOSED, GET REAL.  
CA: stop talkin out your ass kar it doesnt suit you  
CG: OKAY, THAT’S IT, TIME OUT NOW.  
CG: SHUT UP AND LISTEN.  
CA: okay fine what  
CG: THAT’S NOT SHUTTING UP.  
CG: OKAY.  
CG: I DON’T REALLY CARE IF YOU KEEP TRYING TO KILL SOLLUX.  
CG: I KNOW YOU’RE NOT REALLY GOING TO MANAGE IT AND YOU’LL REGRET IT IF YOU DO.  
CG: BECAUSE IF YOU DO I’LL CUT YOUR STUPID GILLS OFF.  
CG: THAT SAID, FEFERI REALLY WANTS YOU TO STOP TRYING TO KILL HIM.  
CG: SHE’S MORE WORRIED THAN I AM.  
CG: TALK TO HER ABOUT IT.  
CA: are you done noww  
CG: YEAH, THAT’S ALL I WANTED TO SAY.  
CG: I KNOW YOU TWO HAVEN’T SPOKEN SINCE YOU ENTERED BUT YOU REALLY NEED TO.  
CA: fine  
CA: ill talk to fef  
CA: but im tellin you this is a prime chance here i could take him dowwn  
CG: NO YOU COULDN’T.  
CG: GOODBYE.  
\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] ceased trolling caligulasAquarium [CA] --

“This must be how it feels like to be Kanaya,” Karkat said to himself. “I hate it.”  
Speaking of Kanaya, she was the last troll to spy on. Well, last before himself. But he had a feeling he knew what that screen would show, and it was something he’d really rather forget.  
For the time being...

======&gt; SWITCH 6

 

Kanaya liked to travel light when she could. On those occasions she chose to venture out to other trolls, she packed only a few changes of clothes, a single book, and paper and pencils in case a particularly intriguing pattern occurred to her on the way. Seeing Alternian nature in the daylight was a constant source of inspiration, and she always found it a shame that other trolls couldn’t seem to stand it.  
The hordes of the undead tended to mar the essential beauty of the world around her, but she could deal with that.  
But she wasn’t just out here for inspiration. She was visiting a friend. Well, calling her a “friend” at this point would be dishonest. They weren’t that close, not really. But her dreams told her they would be. Skaia knew how. For now, she honestly thought Vriska wasn’t all that pleasant. She was rude, and aggressive, and so very rash. Perhaps all she needed was a good influence.

Transportation across Alternia was not easy without access to the extraplanetary shuttles the adults had. She left at dawn, not long after she got up, and the sun had already set by the time she arrived. At least this way Vriska would be awake to greet her. Kanaya’s diurnal habits could be difficult to live with sometimes.  
She had thought she was heading for a village. Settlements on Alternia rose and fell too quickly to have names, but there was definitely supposed to be more than two hives here. She wondered what had happened, and whether the chasm that hadn’t been on the map had anything to do with it.  
She identified Vriska’s hive and, a little hesitantly, knocked on the door. There was no reply. She knocked harder and called out. Could she not hear her?  
“Don’t bother,” came a gruff voice from behind her ear. “She’s not in.”  
Kanaya turned to look. This boy was familiar, somehow. Had she dreamt of him? Yes, that was it. He was one of them too.  
“Who are you?” She asked.  
“I am Equius,” he said, “and it would be fitting for you to be more polite to someone of my blood.”  
Great, she thought to herself. A chromist.  
“Vriska is out roleplaying,” he explained. “Be thankful. Take my advice and leave her well alone. I assume she invited you here?”  
“Yes, she did.”  
“She wouldn’t have intended on letting you leave. Come with me.”  
She followed him to the edge of the gorge the two hives sat over, and invited her to peer in. Below, distant but incredibly large, sat a pearly-white spider easily twice as tall as either building.  
“That,” he spat, “is her lusus. It eats trolls. Vriska will have brought you here to feed it. If you were hoping for more personal interaction, I’m afraid you will be disappointed.”  
She rubbed her neck. It was a habit she’d developed when she was nervous. “I can’t go back now. I think I’ll just have to take the risk.”  
“Then I hope you have a strong will.” He walked back to his hive, leaping the chasm to his house easily. In his doorway, he stopped, and seemed to wrestle with himself. And lost. He turned back to her. “Vriska won’t be back for the rest of the night,” he said, his powerful voice carrying far. “You should spend it here. You will be safer.”  
“No, I think I will wait for her. Thank you for the offer.”  
He shrugged. “Then you’re none of my concern.”  
She couldn’t help but wonder about Equius’ motivation. Altruistic trolls were few and far between. It was probably a trick of some kind. But was the trick on her, or on Vriska? Could he be telling the truth about her, and wanting to rob her of another victim? Or of a potential friend? Was he himself a killer, just looking for a likely target? He had the bearing, if not the look, of a noble blue-blood, so he probably wouldn’t have outright lied to her. On top of all that, he looked to be about her age, the sort of age where romance starts to become a real option. Perhaps he’d got caught in pale throes and was trying to impress a moirail. Or a potential moirail.  
There were too many possibilities. Despite her words, she didn’t particularly want to spend the night in front of Vriska’s hive waiting for her to return from a game. She should really have planned her trip better.  
Or perhaps this was part of Skaia’s plan. Equius was destined to play the game with her, so whatever happened both would come out of it alive, and probably friends. Perhaps she needed to establish a relationship now. Perhaps, through him, she’d meet more people she needed to meet?  
All this second-guessing was giving her a headache. She might as well just go for it. She had her chainsaw if she needed it.  
“Wait! Equius!”

Inside his hive, she started to wonder if she had made a mistake. Lewd, if unarguably artistic, pictures adorned every wall. Metal scraps littered every surface. His lusus, some kind of centaur musclebeast, gave her a stiff bow, and she didn’t know how to respond. She went with an awkward curtsy when Equius had his back turned.  
Whatever his motivation for taking her in had been, it didn’t appear to be interest in Kanaya. Once it was clear that she was safely inside he’d gone to work on a half-built robot, leaving her at even more of a loose end than when she was outside. Certainly there was nothing in here that could inspire an interesting pattern. Not one that she would ever wear, at any rate  
“Why did you bring me here?” she asked him.  
“To keep you away from that monster,” he responded in a matter-of-fact way. She couldn’t tell whether he was referring to Vriska or her lusus.  
“But was that for my sake? Or to spite her?”  
“Nepeta wouldn’t have wanted me to leave you to it,” he mumbled. Then, in a clearer voice, “besides, I have wanted to see that thing starve to death for sweeps.” He brought a hand to his broken horn, as though remembering something.  
“Is Nepeta your moirail?” she asked, hoping to distract him from the giant spider.  
He shot her a dark look. “No”  
“How come? It sounds like you have that sort of relationship.”  
“We do not, understand? One of her blood is... inappropriate.”  
“You put a lot of stock in blood, then?”  
“If we cannot define our place in society then where would Alternia be?”  
“Feferi wouldn’t approve.” Kanaya coolly dropped the name. If she had judged him right, that would impress him.  
She couldn’t quite see behind his dark glasses, but it seemed to have caught his attention.

It was strange, spending the night with someone like Equius. He wasn’t the most pleasant boy she’d met, but once she’d gained his respect she at least found him to be cordial. He struck her as reliable, although he held himself to the treacherous standards of his caste. It would take time, but he would become part of the twelve.  
It was getting hard to stay awake. She’d been up all day, and now spent the night talking to this boy. She didn’t want to sleep in his hive. He might have proven to be not hostile, but she didn’t trust him that much. Though considering the matter, she didn’t particularly want to sleep with Vriska either. She could stand to not return to Prospit for at least a little longer.  
Equius had gone off somewhere, leaving her on her own. She peered out of the window into what was once a village. From this vantage, she could see the signs of old hives torn down, once by a colossal monster then the job finished by construction droids. The mighty crevices in the ground met at a point not all that far from the two remaining hives. She wondered what sort of story was behind all that. She would probably never know.  
She was a little surprised to see Equius outside, arguing animatedly with someone. Vriska! She’d returned.

“Don’t act so goodly!” the scruffy girl yelled. “You’re just out to steal away my friends!”  
“You don’t have friends, Vriska. The last three you claimed to be friends all went to feed the spider.”  
“That was a trick! A trap to get them here. And they fell for it! But this is different! I wasn’t gonna kill her!”  
“I have no reason to believe you.”  
Kanaya stepped out, and crossed the makeshift bridge to Vriska’s hive  
Vriska turned to her. “And you! You came here to see me! ME! And then you go off making out with this hornless, muscle-headed...”  
“Vriska, you weren’t here!” Kanaya pleaded. “And I wasn’t making out, I would never-“  
“What else would you be doing with him when you’re meant to be here for me? You’re here for me, so you should have waited for me! You should love me! LOVE ME!”  
There was something, in her head. Kanaya could feel it. It was like it was drawing her to... she hadn’t realised how good Vriska looked before. She was right, she should have waited. She could have spent more time with...  
Her thoughts not entirely coherent, Kanaya draped herself over Vriska’s shoulders, not quite hugging, but happy to be touching her all the same. Then, as though someone hit a switch, she fell asleep.

 

The screens didn’t display dreamselves. Whatever Kanaya was up to on Prospit next, Karkat couldn’t see. He saw Vriska carry her unconscious body into her hive, then lost interest and pressed the button. Obviously she didn’t kill her that night. The green slimy shape of a sleeping Kanaya was kind of adorable, he guessed.  
There was only one jar still empty. There was no more delaying it.


	12. Karkat

======&gt; SWITCH 1

Some things are simply universal constants. Genetics. Computers. John Cusack. Among these many things is the game of Tag, or It, which anybody from an intelligent species will recognise as a game where one person is “it” and chases the other participants until he or she catches one and that person becomes the new “it”. In many universes and many civilisations it has served to keep children healthy and train them for the world Out There.  
Still, few cultures play the game armed. Any anthropologist that spent time among trolls would be able to guess their species was one that did.

And so a young Karkat found himself sneaking around his neighbourhood, sickle ever at the ready to fend off whoever was presently It. Last he saw it was the guy with the spear. Laos, he thought the name was. Something like that.  
Karkat peered around the corner of the hive he was hiding behind. Three other kids were running from Laos, who charged them in a way only a boy with a spear could. He wasn’t really all that fast; they got away from him fairly easily. He turned and saw Karkat.  
Ever quick to action, Karkat ran immediately. Laos may have been slow, but Karkat was no sprinter either. He chased him across the neighbourhood, around several hives, and back to the courtyard he’d first spotted him in. But he was wearing out, and could run no more. Laos was pretty clearly out of breath too, but managed to make a weary thrust with his spear, gashing Karkat’s arm.

A bright red trickle of blood poured out.

Karkat quickly moved to cover it, but it was too late - Laos had seen it.  
“Nah, let me see that,” Laos said, roughly grabbing Karkat’s arm. He saw the blood, and laughed. “Hey everyone!” he called out. “Check it out! Karkat’s a pillweef!”  
Quickly, the other kids emerged from their hiding places around the suburb and came to see the freakish blood. They joined the laughter, and the name-calling. His blood was so low it was off the hemospectrum. He was a pillweef.

Ever quick to anger, Karkat raised his sickle and swung at Laos, scratching his cheek. Amber blood trickled from the wound as he frowned and raised his spear. As Karkat readied to fight, the other trolls started to close in.

 

Karkat pressed the button for the last time. He couldn’t bear to watch any more. A silhouette of a boy clinging to dear life as a group of trolls beat the shit out of him sank mercifully into a pile of sludge, which filled the last jar.  
He didn’t need to watch the screen to know how the story had gone from there. He hit a low point. Really low. Nepeta bugged him about something, and he told her he never wanted to talk to her again. She didn’t really listen, but they spoke to each other a lot less after that.  
Next he’d gone to Sollux. He could remember it with perfect clarity.

 

\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] began trolling twinArmageddons [TA] --  
CG: SOLLUX STOP WHATEVER YOU’RE DOING AND LISTEN.  
TA: hey KK what2 up  
CG: I’VE GIVEN UP ON EVER HAVING FRIENDS.  
CG: IT’S JUST NOT GOING TO WORK IN THE LONG RUN.  
CG: SO I’M TELLING YOU NOW THAT THIS IS THE LAST TIME I WILL TALK TO YOU.  
TA: KK  
TA: that ii2  
TA: the mo2t  
TA: 2tupiid thiing  
TA: ii have ever heard you 2ay  
TA: and youve 2aiid 2ome pretty 2tupiid thing2  
TA: 2eriiou2ly what happened  
CG: I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT.  
TA: 2ure whatever  
TA: at lea2t you de2erve to have friiend2  
TA: and iit2 not 2ome 2tupiid fluke  
TA: 2o 2hut your 2orry flap and lii2ten  
TA: you 2ound even wor2e than me  
TA: you 2hould try talkiing two 2omeone  
TA: AA ha2 2ome friiend2 who could probably help you out  
CG: WHY THE FUCK DO I WANT TO TALK TO YOUR MORON GIRLFRIEND’S CIRCLE OF JERKS?  
TA: 2he2 not my giirlfriiend  
TA: but whatever add gallow2caliibrator to your chumproll  
TA: make that gallowsCalibrator  
TA: or adiosToreador  
TA: he2 alriight once you get two know him  
TA: kiind of weiird about fiidu2pawn  
TA: apparently caught a really rare one and i2 2tupiidly happy about iit  
CG: SOLLUX I REALLY DON’T CARE, OKAY?  
CG: I’M GOING TO GO NOW AND NEVER TALK TO ANYONE AGAIN.  
TA: yeah riight  
TA: 2ee you iin an hour or two then  
\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] blocked twinArmageddons [TA] --  
TA: you know that doe2nt 2top me riight  
\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] ceased trolling twinArmageddons [TA] --

\-- terminallyCapricious [TC] began trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG] --  
TC: WhOa WhAt ThE mOtHeRfUcK  
TC: WhAtS uP tHeRe  
TC: My MoThErFuCkInG bRoThEr FrOm AnOtHeR mOtHeR  
TC: FrOm ThE sAmE mOtHeR  
TC: I gUeSs  
CG: WHO THE TAINTCHAFING FUCK ARE YOU.  
CG: DID SOLLUX PUT YOU UP TO THIS?  
TC: WhOs SoLlUx  
TC: Im JuSt YoUr NeW bEsT fRiEnD  
TC: PrObAbLy  
TC: LiFeS a MiRaClE lIkE tHaT  
CG: OH GOD NO.  
CG: HAVING YOU AS A BEST FRIEND WOULD BE THE WORST FUCKING THING IMAGINABLE.  
CG: I AM POPPING A FUCKING RAGE BUBBLE JUST THINKING ABOUT IT.  
TC: HaHa MaN yEaH tHaT iS dEfInItElY a ThInG  
TC: I jUsT fIgUrEd LiFe NeEdS mOrE mIrAcLeS  
TC: So I pUt SoMe RaNdOm NaMe InTo TrOlLcHaT  
TC: AnD hErE iS sOmE gUy WhO nEeDs A mOtHeRfUcKiNg MiRaClE  
CG: WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?  
CG: WHY THE HELL WOULD I NEED A MIRACLE?  
CG: HAVE YOU BEEN EATING SOPOR SLIME OR SOMETHING?  
TC: MaN i NeVeR tHoUgHt Of ThAt  
TC: WhAt DoEs SoPoR sLiMe TaStE lIkE  
TC: YoU sPeNd AlL tHiS tImE sLeEpInG iN iT  
TC: BuT nEvEr ThInK tHeSe ThInGs  
TC: ThInK i ShOuLd TrY iT  
CG: DON’T BE A FUCKING MORON, THAT STUFF DOES THINGS TO YOUR  
CG: NO YOU KNOW WHAT  
CG: DO IT.  
CG: EAT THE FUCKING SOPOR SLIME  
TC: AlRiGhT mAn HeRe GoEs  
TC: gggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg  
TC: HeHeHeHeHeHeHeHeHeHeHeHe  
TC: azsxdcfvgbhyjnuikuhgyhftgrdeswrdtfyguhijokpiuytffrddes  
CG: ARE YOU JUST ROLLING YOUR FACE AROUND IN THE KEYBOARD?  
CG: FUCKING GOD.  
CG: YOU ARE SERIOUSLY GOING TO GIVE ME A FUCKING ANEURYSM AT THIS RATE.  
CG: I DON’T KNOW WHO YOU ARE OR WHAT YOUR NAME IS.  
CG: BUT I FUCKING HATE YOU.  
CG: I HATE YOU, AND I WILL ALWAYS HATE YOU  
CG: AND DON’T YOU EVER FUCKING FORGET THAT.  
\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] ceased trolling terminallyCapricious [TC] --

terminallyCapricious has been added as a friend!

 

When he thought about it, that means Gamzee had saved his life, really. By coming out of nowhere and distracting him with blind rage, he forgot all about the stuff with his neighbours.  
The blood colour thing all blew over in the end. No one around had the authority to get him culled yet and, after carefully avoiding them for a while, everyone just kind of moved on. But from that day on he knew that his blood was going to cause him trouble, and he’d resolved to go to great lengths to keep it hidden.

His mind clear, he turned to business. There was another button, with a DNA helix on it. He pressed it, and the twelve vats of green goo dropped into one large trough, mixing everyone together in a rather grotesque way. Machinery whirred into life, meaningless lights blinked, then with a blinding flash and a loud crackle, twelve grubs appeared on the platform in the middle of the room.  
Karkat was nonplussed. What just happened here? Had he somehow created a new generation of trolls? Suddenly everyone had offspring? He cringed at the thought.  
But no. That one there was bright red, a freakish mutant colour, and had his very horns. These weren’t just his friends’ children. They were him and his friends, and he’d just created them.

He fought the instinct to kill them all immediately. He had a hunch that it would be a bad idea. And fighting that urge got harder and harder as the grubs all noticed him and clung to him, playing with him like the world’s most exciting wriggling frame. It was sickening. Hopefully they’d all pupate quickly and he could leave them to whatever fate awaited them.

Sadly, he was there fully a day, making sure they didn’t get themselves killed. It was so strange to see them all playing nice with each other. Brutal Alternian society hadn’t instilled them all with violence or belligerence yet. It was a testament to how important experiences are in a life.

After today, Karkat realised that more than most.


End file.
